Nabucco: The Timeless Opera That Defines Verdi’s Legacy – A Review of the Seoul Opera Performance

A scene from Seoul City Opera’s production of Nabucco. /Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Verdi is said to have remarked of Nabucco—written during the darkest stretch of his life—that \”my musical life will begin with Nabucco and end with Nabucco.\” The opera’s overwhelming success propelled him into the top ranks of composers; the \”Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves\” was even sung at his funeral mass at Milan Cathedral, making the remark seem prophetic.

Director Jang Seomun, set designer Kim Hyun-jung and costume designer Byun Mira presented a unified production with a consistent color palette and concept. They retained Nabucco’s historical setting and delivered a traditional staging whose compositions, actor placements and color choices recalled the biblical epics of 1950s Hollywood. The vast scenery, large ensemble and use of dancers produced a spectacle that called to mind films such as Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur.

A scene from Seoul City Opera’s production of Nabucco. /Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

In Act I, the scene of Nabucco and the Babylonian army storming the Jerusalem temple featured dynamic movement from dancers and actors that matched Jang’s instinctive direction and delivered real force. The sculptural ceiling elements and Nabucco’s oversized throne read as symbols, yet they were deployed in ways that served the drama and the characters without stretching credibility.

The evening’s most familiar music, the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, was a joint effort by the Wiener Opera Chorus and the Civic Opera Chorus. The Wiener chorus anchored the choral-heavy score with powerful, steady tone. In Korea, private opera choirs sometimes sound comparatively young, which can pull listeners out of the drama; tonight’s chorus, however, offered a rich, varied palette that suited the work. During the chorus, the civic chorus processed through the darkened orchestra level carrying small lights; the blend of their polished singing, the tiny lights and the costumes produced a deeply affecting moment.

The Hangyeong Arte Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductor Eden, balanced well with the leading choruses. The orchestra captured the opera’s direct musical character and strong dynamics. Eden seemed better suited to Verdi’s brisk leaps and forceful rhythms than to delicate French repertoire; he emphasized the rhythmic drive that propels Verdi’s early music, though Act IV felt slightly less taut.

A scene from Seoul City Opera’s production of Nabucco. /Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Baritone Yang Jun-mo, in the title role, showed moments of strength but seemed to lose freshness as the performance progressed; his tone grew drier toward the end. It was unfortunate that his portrayal rendered the character’s arc—from the commanding authority of Act I through the collapse of Acts II and III to repentance and the recovery of power in Act IV—somewhat monotonous.

By contrast, soprano Seo Sun-young, an unexpected but inspired choice for Abigaille, vividly inhabited the opera’s most volatile and extreme character. Her low register left less impression than her steely high notes, but her fleet passagework and natural leaps conveyed the character’s desire, anxiety and mania. Abigaille’s death in Act IV even felt sublime—another instance of Seo’s ability to make any role her own.

A scene from Seoul City Opera’s production of Nabucco. /Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Another notable voice was tenor Lee Seung-mook as Ismaele. A fixture among Korea’s leading male leads, he grounded the performance with solid projection and credible acting. His normally incisive tone softened to blend with the ensemble, and his nuanced control of dynamics gave him a strong stage presence.

Nabucco, which premiered in 1842 and launched a decade of Verdi’s nationalist operas, did not feel remote even 184 years later—largely because of the ongoing war in the Middle East. It is an irony of our moment that the Jews, portrayed in the opera as an oppressed people, do not appear in today’s events as simple victims.

/Son Su-yeon, opera critic and professor at Dankook University

Son Su-yeon